Content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical or health, safety, legal or financial advice. Click here for additional information.

Mom’s Emotional Post About Wanting a “White Couch” Reveals a Truth We Can All Relate To

One day while shopping, I came across a gorgeous woven throw pillow that also happened to be on sale and quickly snatched it up. I loved that pillow; it matched the aesthetic in my home perfectly.

It now sits on a high shelf in my closet. Why? Well, because I have three sons and have long since given up on having throw pillows at all. Throw pillows take on a new meaning with boys — they literally become pillows to be thrown (usually at a sibling’s face).

Lauren Eberspacher, the popular blogger behind From Blacktop to Dirt Road, seems to feel my pain. She recently wrote a heartwarming post about the white couch of her dreams. The one from Pottery Barn; the one that she promises her husband they will one day own.

“And it’s gonna be clean,” she laments. “There aren’t going to be juice stains on it, there won’t be apple cores shoved in between the cushions, and it won’t smell like curdled milk. There won’t be worn stains on the arms where the kids have jumped off of it and the cushions won’t sink down in the middle from where they bounced on them. We won’t have to scrub out stains or sprinkle baking soda on it after someone doesn’t make it to the potty in time.”

It’s hard to imagine a couch like that. Our current couch is sporting some stylish slash marks from when one of our boys went at it with some scissors — and if you sit in the middle, be prepared for your body to sink down almost to the floor.

Eberspacher goes on in her post to imagine what it would be like when company comes over to sit on her pristine white couch.

“We aren’t gonna have to clear the toys off of it. The throw pillows are always going to be in their rightful place and the throw blankets will always be folded on the arm rest where they belong, not strategically laid out so that they cover the tears in the cushions or the stains on the fabric. We won’t sit down on tiny cars or get poked by Barbie arms. We will just sit with our company and enjoy the comfort of our white couch.”

Ahh … living the dream. How would that be?

And yet, as Eberspacher puts it, “We’re gonna miss those stains.” And the reasons she lays forth will crush you.

“It’s going to mean that our kids aren’t so little anymore. The arm rests are going to be sturdy and the cushions are going to be fluffy. I’m sure it’s going to be just as comfortable as we thought it was going to be. But I’m sure there’s going to be a twinge as we reminisce about our kids jumping off of our couch from years ago. Pretending they are super heroes or going on wild adventures. I think that someday we’re gonna miss the years of our old, worn couch.”

She’s right. Just like all those grandmas who love to tell you, “you’re gonna miss this!” which may rub you the wrong way at the time (because it’s always in a moment of chaos, isn’t it?). But it’s still true.

Eberspacher tells Babble that she was inspired to write the post after trying to get her home ready for an upcoming Spring Farmhouse Tour.

“[I] was grumbling to myself as I was scrubbing out stains and picking out apple cores from my old, worn couch,” she explains, adding that she knew her pictures would look so much better if she had a beautiful white couch.

“My husband and I have gone back and forth for years about whether or not to buy this Pottery Barn couch. It always catches our eye in magazines or we sit in it for a few minutes when we’re in the store. But we’ve decided that we are just going to wait until our kids are older to buy one. Why buy a white couch when it’s just going to get destroyed, you know?”

Yes, I know. I know all too well. But as Eberspacher explains, there is a time and a place for a new couch — and we may not want it to come too quickly. Eberspacher tells Babble that as she was watching her daughter playing on their worn couch, something struck her:

“What really compelled me to write about the proverbial white Pottery Barn couch was watching my middle daughter standing on the arm of our old, worn family couch. She was pretending to be Gaston from Beauty and the Beast — waving her sword in the air, singing along to the Gaston song. That’s when in hit me that these are truly the best, most magical years of our lives.”

Amen to that. There is magic in the chaos — and sometime down the line, there will be time to sit on our pristine couches, and remember those days with a smile.

Article Posted 9 months Ago

Share this article

FacebookTwitterTumblrPinterest

See Comments

What do you think?

Share this article

FacebookTwitterTumblrPinterest

See Comments

What do you think?

What do you think?

Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, profile photo and other personal information you make public on Facebook (e.g., school, work, current city, age) will appear with your comment. Learn More

Content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical or health, safety, legal or financial advice. Click here for additional information.